Out of their Element

[Olo]

@littlest-lily I guess it’ll be a while before Evie can convince Aiden to indulge her in some “unaware” roleplay.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Yeeeah, that kind of playfulness is probably not going to happen in their near future

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 67
Evie

Finally, finally, finally! I may have been overhyping this cabin trip a wee bit at this point, but… it’s finally here!

I thought I was going to lose my mind during the over-three-hour-long drive it took to get here - there’s only so much entertainment that Aiden and Moira can offer me when I’m trapped in a pocket for that long. But then we exit the car and I pop my head outside. I take in the expansive oranges and browns of the trees, the sound of squirrels chattering, the smell of wet leaves, the refreshing crisp fall air in my lungs… Yup. This is exactly what I was looking forward to.

The cabin itself looks positively picturesque. It’s two stories tall with red cedar walls and a deep green roof. It’s well surrounded by trees and is even bigger than I imagined from the photos I’ve seen, and yet it still looks so quaint and cozy. As much as I hated having to move all the time in my adult life, I’ve spent so much time in one spot since I’ve been shrunk, and the change of scenery is so appreciated.

The three of us have gotten here slightly before the Ignacios, so we’re able to settle in for a little bit, taking a brief tour of the bottom floor together. The living room is cavernous, even to my giant friends I’m sure, taking up the entire two stories and sporting massive windows. In comparison the kitchen and bedrooms feel almost cramped, but of course that’s speaking relatively since to me everything’s still very vast. Once we’ve taken a look at all the rooms, Moira brings me with her so that we can check out the upstairs while Aiden unloads luggage from the car. Up here there’s an open loft area that contains a bed and looks out over the living room, along with one more side bedroom and bathroom.

Moira sets me down on the bed so that we can chat while she starts unpacking her backpack. I’m doing a whole lot of staring at my surroundings, my head twisting this way and that to take in the rest of the loft. There are a couple of couches up against the window and opposite banister, a pool table, a mini fridge. This palace of a cabin is a lot to take in.

“Sooo. What do you want to do first?” Moira asks me, looking entertained by all of my wide-eyed wonder.

“I don’t know!” I say, a little breathless. “Umm, since it’s too windy for a campfire, maybe we chill inside and play Magic tonight?”

“Hell yeah. Oh, and I brought some spa stuff! I’ve got face masks, a body scrub, nail polish…” She’s pulling the items out as she lists them, separating them into a smaller bag for later.

“Sounds great.” I grin and let myself collapse back onto the covers so that I can stretch my limbs. “I don’t know why the car ride felt that exhausting, my legs are all sore. I’d love to have some spa time soon.”

“Especially with the hiking we’ll be doing tomorrow,” Moira points out, “We’ll be nice and primed.”

I laugh. “You mean the hiking you’ll be doing. I get to hitch a ride.”

She pauses in her unpacking to join me, resting her arms nearby on the bed as she smiles my way. “Hey, you have to go on long hikes on the daily. You probably deserve to relax more than any of us.”

“Says the workaholic,” I scoff, sitting up so that I can scoot closer and touch her forearm. “I’m glad you’re finally getting a vacation, Mo.”

“Me too… I mean, I do need to get a little bit of work done… I’ve been slacking on making social posts lately…”

“Moiraaaa,” I sigh.

“Well, this sure feels cozy!”

We’re interrupted before I can further scold my friend for bringing her work to the woods. I thought I’d heard creaking come from the stairs and sure enough - Aiden’s made his way up to the loft as well, taking his first look around at the furnishings.

Moira flinches, not having noticed what I’m sure were much more subtle sounds to her. She pulls away from me to turn towards him, sitting back on her heels as she quickly recovers and says, “Isn’t it? This’ll be the perfect spot for me.”

Aiden takes another minute or so to poke around at the nearby rooms while Moira and I wrap up our conversation. Then he comes back to where we are and offers his hand to me, laying it onto the bed cover.

“You want to come set up your space, Eve? The others should be here soon.”

“Sure!” I get to my feet and hop aboard. It actually feels particularly nice in the warmth of his palm right now. I can sense the fact that we’ve traveled further north, the air is chillier here. I’ll need to unpack my jackets and socks first and foremost.

We knew that we picked the smallest of the bedrooms, and it’s even more cramped than we had anticipated. I’m fine of course, but my poor boyfriend has trouble maneuvering around the bed. He focuses on taking everything out of my bag first - we’ve brought my bed, toilet, phone, one of the shelves to store clothing, and a ladder in case I need to reach the ground. I unpack my garments onto the shelf, and then raise an eyebrow at Aiden when I notice he’s not unpacking much of his stuff at all.

“Can’t find a spot to put your clothes?” I ask.

“Eh, it’s only three nights. I’ll live out of the suitcase.”

“Fair enough. I guess when you’re camping in a tent you probably have even less space.”

“Mm-hmm. I don’t mind this at all.” He plops down onto the bed and smirks as he brings his face closer to the nightstand. “And I especially don’t mind being in a tight space if I’m crammed into it with you…”

We’ve barely had time to start making out before we’re interrupted by a car door slam outside letting us know that the second half of our group has arrived. I catch a glimpse through the nearby window at the Ignacios exiting the car. Star is looking cute in her cable knit sweater, Diego seems comfortable in shorts and a T-shirt despite the chill… and there’s Camila, looking like a movie star as usual. Her perfect waves are pulled back into a ponytail, she’s wearing a fashionable skort and crop-top, wedged knee-high boots with a fur lining, and designer sunglasses perched on top of her head.

I find myself rolling my eyes at how out of place she looks, and then I berate myself. Be nice, I think. I’ll be seeing her from today - Thursday - until Sunday morning. Plenty of time to, um… bond. Maybe this weekend we’ll finally hit it off.

The six of us gather at the entrance and I’m able to greet the others from my partner’s shoulder - even Camila shoots me a smile, which I gratefully return. Everyone trickles in their luggage bit by bit as they find their home bases for the weekend. Diego and Star will be sharing the main bedroom downstairs, just next door to Aiden and me, and Camila will be staying in the side bedroom upstairs by the loft.

I hang out with Moira in the living room as my boyfriend gets roped into helping Camila get her three suitcases up the stairs. I try not to think about how the two of them are alone upstairs as I make plans with Moira to join her in her yoga practice tomorrow morning. Eventually we’re all gathered again in the living room, and I’m reassured when Aiden gently yoinks me from behind so that I can sit with him on one of the couches.

“So!” Star exclaims once we’ve all caught up on how our drives went and have shared in our excitement for the weekend. “Since it’s so windy tonight, I’m guessing that’s not great for the campfire?”

“Probably not,” Aiden says apologetically, “I can try to make it work, but it’s probably not the safest. Forecast is showing that tomorrow night should be way calmer, mind if we switch my dinner plans with yours?”

“That’s fine! We’ll go start working on the stew then, yeah? So that we don’t eat too late.” Star turns to her husband for confirmation.

“Aye aye, cap’n!” Diego says as he stands.

I wave as the couple leaves for the kitchen, and I find myself sighing as I drop my arm again. I’m actually starting to feel a bit overstimulated at this point, if I’m being honest… I’ve gotten more used to hanging out with multiple giants at once, but rarely are we all in the same room at the same time, especially in such a new and exciting environment. It’s going to be a long night of festivities, so I eventually decide that I might need a little break before the food’s ready.

“Can you set me down?” I call up to Aiden from my spot at the crook of his elbow. “I just want to grab something in our room real quick.”

“I can go get it for you,” he says, brow furrowing as he looks down at me.

“Nah, I’ve been doing a lot of sitting today, I should stretch my legs. I’ll be right back.”

He hesitates for a beat longer. It hasn’t been that long since our close call back at the apartment. We’ve gotten into better habits since then - I’m much more careful about lining the walls now if I’m ever on the ground, and we’ve had zero issues since. Everyone else here has been briefed about how to watch out for me too. But still, I’m sure that moment where he thought he had almost stepped on his girlfriend still has him rattled.

“Alright, yell if you need anything,” he says, scooping me off his arm and extending his hand to the floor. I’m sure I don’t need to point out that as soon as I’m no longer in the living room he probably wouldn’t be able to hear me. It’s the thought that counts, I guess.

Camila, who has been discussing one of her classes with Moira, trails off as she notices what’s going on opposite to her. I step onto the ground, grateful for my heavier duty socks as I can feel a layer of cold radiating from the hardwood floor. She locks eyes onto me and raises one eyebrow.

“Aren’t you worried about running into a spider or something?” she asks with a small smile on her face.

I glance up at her and feel a little dizzy. Even at home, looking up at Aiden from down at his feet, as if he truly was a skyscraper, is enough to make my insides squirm. And now the unfamiliar hulking furniture, the towering group of titans, particularly the dark-eyed beauty who already makes me feel rather uncomfortable… Yeah, I’m starting to rethink this plan. Oh well. I can push through.

“I’ll be fine,” I say, feigning confidence best I can.

“There shouldn’t be as many bugs around this time of year anyway, not in this area,” Aiden adds reassuringly.

Not wanting to extend this exchange, I quickly make my way towards the nearest wall as they resume their conversation. It takes me almost ten minutes to get to our room and climb up the ladder to my little camp on the nightstand. I change into a slightly warmer jacket to justify why I came here, and then I take a few minutes in the quiet to steady myself. I knew that a lot about this trip was going to be a bit intense. But I’ve got this. I’m going to have a fun evening and a fun weekend. I’ve been looking forward to this trip so much, and I know it’s going to be worth it.

I slip back out into the hallway when I start feeling mild tremors that are growing in strength. And then I notice a shadow up ahead before seeing a colossal figure turn the corner. Oh jeez, it’s Diego. He must be taking a break from cooking to go grab something from his room. Just a 150 foot giant heading towards me, no big deal…

He quickly notices me walking alongside the wall, his smile growing in acknowledgement. He slows down as he gets closer and asks me, “Need a boost? Or you’re good?”

He’s honestly so tall that I’m not sure he’ll be able to hear me very well from the floor, so I just flash him a double thumbs-up and he seems to get it. He keeps moving, and so do I. That’s pretty cool, this ability to coexist so seamlessly. I don’t plan to wander around on my own all that often - hell, in a place like this, I’m sure bugs really are more of a concern than they are back at the apartment. But it’s nice to know that I have the option of keeping some independence if I need to grab a snack or something.

By the time I get back to the living room, I can tell Aiden’s been casting frequent glances towards the hallway. He notices my movements and straightens up with a smile, and I wave before hurrying to him. He plucks me back off the floor, and once he’s set me onto his knee, I sit with a tall back full of pride. I know my little trip was so minor, but I kinda feel badass from it.

Things really pick up soon after that, and we end up having a blast this first night. We gather around the dining room table for the hearty stew that the Ignacios made in the cabin’s cast iron Dutch oven. We discuss the hiking trails that we plan on checking out tomorrow. We play a lighthearted party game all together, and then we eventually meander to the living room. Aiden gets a fire going in the hearth while Moira fetches apple cider for everyone, and soon we’re sprawled around in a circle, half of us on chairs and the other half on the floor as we chat.

I do bristle a little as Camila sits on the ground particularly close to Aiden and I, leaning against the couch right next to his legs. I think I saw a couple of subtle frowns from the rest of the group in her direction, but everyone regains their composure so fast that I question whether it even happened. I get over it very quickly.

“So does anyone have Halloween plans?” Diego suddenly asks.

“No” is the general consensus, and Star immediately follows that up with, “We should dress up and go somewhere! Like, as a group. It’d be fun.”

“Hmm… What should we dress up as?” Moira wonders.

Diego points his finger in my direction. “Well, what should Evie be? Let’s start there.”

I startle, pulling my legs into my chest self consciously as I shift back on the couch armrest. “Oh, I don’t have to be part of this,” I say, feeling embarrassed.

Star leans forward as she urges, “No, you have to be! Think about it. Halloween might be the only time of year you can be out in public and people won’t question it.”

This thought makes me pause. I’ve gotten so accustomed to hiding. The thought of being out in the open in any capacity, pretending to be a toy as part of someone else’s costume, is a little scary at first. But the more I consider it, the more I think it might be freeing too. Finally I relent, “I guess that’s true… Uhhh… Maybe I could be a fairy or something?”

“You could be Tinkerbell?” Aiden suggests with a smile. I’ve been gradually having him watch all of my favorite childhood movies since he missed out on a lot of the classics as a kid. Due to his particular interests, he was quite familiar with Peter Pan, but recently we decided to watch it anyway.

Moira seems excited by the idea. “Oooo, yeah, we could be a Peter Pan group! That’d be so cute.” She nods in our direction. “Aiden, I guess that makes you Peter?”

“Hmm…” he muses, and I shiver with pleasure as he runs a finger along my back while he thinks. A playful smirk lights up his features. “I kinda want to be Hook, actually. Then I could pretend I’ve captured you in a lantern… you know, if you ever need a break from any crowds.”

I laugh. “Uh huh, pretend, sure. I just won’t read too deep into the fact that you want to be the villain.”

The others chuckle, but meanwhile I’m already daydreaming about this potential opportunity for my boyfriend to dress up as a sexy pirate. Camila jumps in with uncharacteristic eagerness as she beams over towards her cousin. “I think Diego should be Pan. Green tights and everything.”

We all laugh even more at this casting choice. But Diego’s completely unphased and agrees heartily, “I have noooo problems being the main character!” He swoops his arm around his wife to pull her in closer. “I guess that makes you my Wendy, darling.”

Moira turns to Camila with a giggle. “You want to be a lost boy with me?”

Everyone seems eager enough that this plan might actually happen, and I start feeling more and more excited about the prospects. We end up discussing a group trip to Disney World too while we’re on the subject, which would be so expensive and logistically complicated that it probably won’t happen, but it’s fun to dream. It’s so nice that everyone’s in this good of a mood, and the number of times that I get interrupted due to simply not being heard is at an all-time low. We don’t stay up very late since we’re all tired from the drive, but man what a wonderful first evening this was.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily said:

“Aren’t you worried about running into a spider or something?”

Just the two-legged variety…

I guess our little troupe will have to do without a Tiger-Lily.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Ehehehehe I see what you did there

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 68
Evie

I shiver and twist deeper into the covers as I come to consciousness this morning. The air feels even chillier in the early hours, but it just makes my bed feel all the more cozy. I slept pretty great, actually. As much as I’ve gotten used to the sounds of people and cars passing by outside back home, the relative quiet of the forest that surrounds us is lovely. I peek my eyes over the blanket to look towards Aiden, who’s turned in my direction but still fast asleep. The very tip of his nose is pinker than normal with the cold. I wish I could tuck him in a little better. But even if I was strong enough to drag his blankets, I’m too comfortable to move right now.

Soon I hear a slight floor creaking coming from outside of our room. I lift my head up to listen, and sure enough, there’s a very light tap on the door a second later.

Alright, alright… Comfort be damned, Moira and I made plans for this morning. I force myself out of bed, rushing to throw on some warmer outerwear, and then I quickly make my way down the ladder that’s hanging from the nightstand. I pause to look up at the bed, looming so high that I can’t see past the edge of it. I blow my sleeping boyfriend a kiss before I turn and hurry away.

The gap under the door is big enough for me to slide under, and the first thing I see are a pair of feet clad in fuzzy purple socks. My friend is crouched there, anticipating my arrival, and she already looks so put together with her yoga pants, a light coat of makeup, and a cute, casual side braid. And here I thought I was an early bird.

“Good morning,” she whispers, immediately offering me her hand.

“Morning,” I respond sleepily, and once I clear the door I don’t even bother standing up before I crawl aboard. It takes a great amount of effort to keep myself from curling up in the warmth of her palm and refusing to budge.

A quick stop by the kitchen for a drink of water is enough to rouse me to attention, and then once we head out to the back deck, the fresh air does the rest of the job. Looks like Moira’s already rolled out her yoga mat, and she has a hand towel laid out on a nearby bench for me. I thank her profusely for the setup as she sets me down.

“You said you’ve done yoga before, yeah?" she asks once she’s stepped onto her own mat.

“Um, I’ve followed a couple of videos before, but I’ve never done a class. Please guide me," I call out to her.

“Okay, sure! Let’s do some sun salutations to get us going? We’ll start with tadasana, mountain pose. Stand like this, arms to the side… There you go.”

I quickly realize that I need to stretch more. I was diligent about doing the leg extensions that Diego sent me after my injury, but I’ve been slacking lately and I can really feel it as I struggle to hit some of these yoga poses. I’m more in shape now compared to before I got shrunk since I have to travel further distances and do a lot of climbing, but I don’t take nearly as much time as I should to stay limber. Actually, I should ask Moira to do this with me more often. It’s fun to do it together, she’s a good teacher. Even if she needs to go out of her way and come quite close to me to help correct my positions from time to time.

By the time we finish up half an hour later, I’ve started to sweat and have abandoned my jacket, but I feel refreshed. We’re noticing bits of commotion coming from inside the cabin as everyone else slowly wakes up. Aiden’s face had briefly appeared in the window halfway through our practice, smiling once he’d confirmed where I was before leaving us be. Soon enough the scent of coffee trickles out of open windows.

The back door opens, and with a pronounced yawn Star shuffles out onto the deck as well. Her dark hair is up in a messy bun so that only the one strand of blue is hanging down by her face. She’s holding two bowls in her hands as she trudges our way and says, “Hellooo ladies. Anybody want oatmeal?"

There’s a patch of sunlight that’s landed on the patio accent table, giving us a spot to have breakfast outdoors. I fill my senses with the apple and cinnamon, savoring the taste of fall. Thankfully I carry a few basic tools and utensils in my jacket pockets, so I’m able to dig right into the spoonful of oatmeal that I’m offered.

“Is everyone else up too?” I ask between bites.

“Yeah. Camila’s still upstairs getting ready," Star says with a sleepy smile. “I think I’ll be staying with her while you guys go on that hike, I just want to relax. The boys are prepping food for the day in the kitchen.”

Moira ponders for a moment and then suggests, “Well, I don’t think we were planning to leave until 9 or 10… Would you guys want to do a bit of that spa stuff beforehand since we didn’t end up doing it last night? We can have some quality girl time?"

Star perks up at this. “Yeah, totally, if you guys have time! I’m sure Camila would love that too."

I briefly hesitate, imagining the four of us hanging out and putting on face masks. That does sound nice and relaxing. And Camila’s been pretty chill so far, which is encouraging. So quickly I chime in, “Sure, why not!”

We finish our breakfast while marveling at how beautiful the nearby tree line looks at this hour. Star is apparently extra touchy when she’s sleepy, frequently putting a hand on Moira’s arm or rubbing my head with a finger as we chat. But I’m endeared by it. I honestly still haven’t quite figured out why I don’t find Star to ever be patronizing. No matter how honey-sweet of a tone she employs, or how much she fawns over how cute she finds me, or how she gently pets me without expressed permission, it never feels disrespectful. It feels like she would treat any of her loved ones this way, and I’m all for it.

She’s the one who offers to carry me back inside, cupping her fingers around my frame to protect me from the odd breeze. We go by the kitchen to drop off the dishes and let the guys know what we’ll be up to before the hike. They’ve got an array of bread slices spread out on the counter, in the middle of making way too many sandwiches.

“What do you want in yours?” Diego asks as he points at me in his wife’s hand.

“I’m fine with whatever,” I call back, “I’ll have some of Aiden’s.”

“Pshhh, c’mon. Not even half a sandwich?” he mocks with a grin, slapping a spoonful of mustard onto the sourdough. “Weak.”

I roll my eyes with a sigh, but I’m laughing. I’m also not sure why it’s never bothered me all that much that Diego has poked fun at my size from the moment I met him. I’ve found it refreshing that he doesn’t overthink how he needs to treat me. Again, it feels like he acts this way with all of his friends, and it’s how he helps make me feel like I’m truly part of the group.

We update the men on our spa plans, and they’re amenable to splitting up by gender for the next hour - I’m sure they’ll be happy to sneak in a couple of games of Magic before we head out. I can see the intent look in Aiden’s gaze when our eyes meet and we silently check in with each other. I smile widely to let him know I’m doing just fine.

We gather in the main bedroom downstairs, where Camila quickly joins us, wearing fancy loungewear and fluffy red earmuffs. She seems quite enthusiastic about the face masks, and we all pile onto the bed, with me finding a spot on one of the pillows to spread out some tissue paper to sit on.

Once we’ve done some exfoliating and moisturizing, Star offers to cut my hair, since apparently she does it for her nieces all the time. I’m initially wary when I see the blade, despite the rounded tips on the small scissors that she has. But ultimately I agree when I remember what Diego had said about how Star has stitched up a hamster’s leg before. I trust that she’s capable and will be very careful.

“Have you cut it since you’ve gotten tiny?” she asks me, draping my long brown locks over the side of her index finger.

“Nope. It’s actually been driving me a little crazy lately,” I say, closing my eyes to try to block out the thought of scissors coming so close. I hear Moira murmuring something to Camila about how they need to hold still and not shake the bed.

“Hmm, maybe the split ends are just too small for me to make out, your hair feels so silky… Okay, this’ll be real quick.”

I hold my breath and everyone goes strangely silent. I feel a slight tug, hear the sound of quick snips, and it’s all over in less than a minute. I look behind me as Star carefully tries to brush some of the loose hairs off of my back. I take one hanging strand to examine it, feeling immensely satisfied at the fresh feel of it now that it only comes down to my chest instead of nearing my waist.

"There, I tried not to make it too short,” Star says, smoothing out my hair affectionately. I turn around to smile up at her gratefully and she coos, “You are so precious, Evie. Like a little doll.”

The other two girls relax now that there are no more sharp blades in my vicinity. “That looks great! You even got some layering in there,” Moira marvels.

Camila leans in a little closer. “Yeah, you do look like a little doll,” she comments. I feel a bit guilty for thinking this, but I can’t help feeling that those words sounded better coming out of Star’s mouth. Still, she’s trying, and I respond with a warm smile.

“Thank you so much for this, Star,” I say, giving my friend’s nearby finger a tight hug.

“Anytime!” she giggles, “I’d love to be your new hairdresser. I’m sure I’ll get better at it over time.”

I thank her a couple more times before relaxing the embrace, finally letting go at the sound of a ziploc bag opening.

“Oh good, I’ve been meaning to change up my nails for the fall,” says Camila as she also notices Moira reaching into her bag of nail polish.

Mo is in the middle of holding up one of the bottles when she pauses. “Shoot. Evie, I didn’t think about this… Are the fumes a bad idea?” She bites her lip with concern, and the other two turn their heads towards me.

I squirm and shake my head, feeling suddenly embarrassed under their stares. “Oh, um, I’m sure it’s fine. I just won’t get too close. It’s not like I can use the brushes on myself, and uh… here!” I reach over to a nearby scrap of tissue that I’d been using to wash my face with earlier, and I tear off a strip before tying it around my face to cover my nose and mouth. “Ta-da! Don’t worry, it’s not like I do this every day.”

“Let me at least go open a window to air out the room,” Moira offers and gets up to do just that.

The girls start painting their fingernails, and while I’m feeling a little wistful that I can’t join in due to my own nails being the size of poppy seeds, I still feel included when they ask me for my opinion in color choices. But while Camila and Moira seem very accustomed to this activity, Star is struggling.

“Ahh, I’m so bad at this,” she laments, trying to scrub the dot of polish that she got onto the skin of her thumb.

“Can I help?” I pipe up, sliding off the pillow to head towards her. She’s sitting cross-legged on the bed, so she has to lower her hand down towards me for me to reach it.

“You sure?” she asks tentatively. “I thought you weren’t going to get too close.”

The smell of the polish is pretty strong, but not nauseatingly so. “It’s really not too bad. I’d love to give you a hand! It makes me happy if I can return the haircut favor in any way.”

“Alright then… thanks!”

I extract a couple of the tools from my jacket pocket since some of them are for painting minis, and they really come in handy now. I use a small splinter to scrape errant nail polish off, and then I eventually end up helping her paint an orange leaf on her ring finger.

“Wow, that looks really good!”

I’m shocked to look up and see that it’s Camila who has praised me so avidly on my detail work. I hope I don’t look too surprised as I beam up at her.

“Thank you! I can try to help if anyone else wants some kind of design.”

Star pauses in blowing at her fingernails to giggle, “You say that now until we switch to pedicures.”

I grin and wave my hand to push her concern aside. “I really don’t mind!”

“No, no, I was kidding, I’m not going to make you deal with my dirty–”

I gasp as just then we’re interrupted. Out of nowhere, Camila has just extended her foot from her seat, plopping it down right in front of me. I lose my balance from the impact and land on my butt, every muscle tense as I try to make sense of what’s happening. Her bare foot is as large as a tank, imposing all on its own, her heavy toes having landed much too close for comfort. The rest of her leg is like a hulking tower, and looming far above is her smiling face.

No, it’s… it’s more of a smirk. It’s incredibly apparent to me in this split second. She’s getting a kick out of seeing me down at her feet like this. Our eyes meet and the message she sends me is as clear as if she’d spoken out loud. It sends a shiver down my spine.

“Ewww, Camila, what are you doing??” Star yelps, and just as quickly as it appeared, the foot is shoved away again, the bedsheets buckling back and jostling me again.

“She was offering!” Camila laughs, casually folding her leg back.

“She was just being nice, you weirdo!”

Moira gently approaches me as Star berates her cousin-in-law. She gets my attention by showing me the nail design on one of her fingers, quietly pretending to need help straightening out a line. She uses the opportunity to pick me up, pushing the side of her hand into the mattress to slide her palm under me. I quickly snap out of it and cooperate, regaining my smile as fast as I can. But I’m still reeling from what just happened, reliving it in the back of my mind.

Everyone I’ve met since I’ve shrunk has treated me a little differently. Some of them specifically make reference to my height while others avoid it. Some of them are more liberal in touching me while others are more mindful about my personal space. Some of them try to help me out directly while others help me help myself. But outside of Dr. Little they’ve all been kind. They all treat me as an equal.

Camila clearly does not share that sentiment. I could practically hear her voice in my head as she sat there and savored the sight of me all the way down at her toes like a servant. The look in her eyes very clearly told me, “Oh, you think you’re one of us? That’s cute.”

I feel sick. I’ve been spoiled by so many months of living with Aiden and being surrounded by supportive friends. I have no idea how to deal with this. Desperately I fight back tears, only barely managing to.

Soon we’re able to just laugh the moment off as a silly little joke. I really don’t want the others to know how unnerved I feel after that. I don’t even want to acknowledge it to myself. All I want is to have a good time on this trip. But deep down I know that whatever benefit of the doubt I had been offering Camila up until now, whatever naive hope I had that she and I could get along as casual friends… all of it has vanished in an instant.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily I’m sorry to say it, but Camila is my kind of villain. I understand why Evie wants to keep her feelings to herself, but she’s in for a time. Good luck, girl.

Star & Diego make an adorable giant couple. I kinda need fanart of them from Evie’s POV.

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Oooo I’m curious what you mean by your kind of villain. It’s been interesting to see the reactions to Camila - even far before this particular chapter of her being more blatantly a bully there have been a lot of intense comments about her. (Meanwhile I’m hoping people hate her in a way that’s fun because she’ll be around for a bit longer yet…)

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 69
Aiden

I’m staring out at a sprawling valley, and the untouched wilderness stretches out for miles and miles ahead. The hills and low mountains are completely covered with trees. You can actually visibly see the transition from summer to autumn in the jagged line that separates bright green leaves from the yellow and orange ones, the colors mixing with a chaotic beauty.

“Woowww,” sighs a voice from near my shoulder.

“Right?” I whisper back.

Evie isn’t in my shirt pocket as usual - I didn’t want to risk her having to deal with any dampness if I got too sweaty on this hike. Instead, one of the many ways we prepared for this trip was by attaching a pocket to the strap of my backpack. It definitely looks handmade in comparison to her regular spot right against my chest, but it’s also custom built to her specific size. So far she’s seemed quite comfortable in there, and it doesn’t make much difference to me since she’s around the same level on my body as usual.

“I’m assuming there’s an impressive view on the other side of that bush?” Moira asks from just behind me.

I turn to glance down at her, frowning as I look between her and the foliage in question. “Oh shoot, you can’t see over that?”

She tries standing on her tiptoes before shaking her head. “It’s fine, I’m sure we’ve almost reached the oooohmygodwhatareyoudoing–!”

Diego has suddenly stepped behind Moira to hook his hands under her arms and vault her into the air, so that I have to now look way up instead. He places her on his shoulders nonchalantly, as if she was a child. Her arms flail in fear before she latches tightly onto his head.

“Diego, are you nuts?! We’re on an incline!” she whimpers, squeezing her eyes shut.

“And you weigh, like, two pounds,” he chuckles. “I’ve gotcha. Just relax and soak in aaalll those fall vibes!”

Moira finally catches her breath and relaxes enough to open her eyes. She hesitantly joins us in admiring the scenery, nothing but the sound of the breeze filling the air as we stand in silence for a few more moments. It’s a welcome break after a couple of hours of nonstop walking. Not that I’m complaining, as this hike has been such a pleasure. Fresh air, colorful scenery, both quiet moments and lively ones. The weather is absolutely perfect - sunny enough that the lingering morning dew was sparkling when we left, but with a pleasant cool breeze that has kept us at the ideal temperature in the shade.

I peer up ahead at our path, trying to get a sense of how much further we need to go. “I think I can see the trail marker,” I say, “We’re almost there, I’m sure the view’s even better up in that clearing. And then we can have lunch?”

“Sounds good to me!” Diego declares as he turns and starts walking up the trail again, with Moira still sitting on his shoulders.

She immediately protests with an uncharacteristic firmness. “No, no. You are not going to keep hiking up this mountain with me here. Put me down.”

“Aight, aight. Take it easy, chiquita,” Diego relents, hoisting her back over his head and down to the ground.

“I don’t know how you do it, Evie,” Moira sighs, though now that she’s on terra firma again she’s able to smile as she gives Diego a playful glare. “Getting manhandled all the time.”

“You get used to it,” Evie laughs.

“‘Scuse me for worrying about those lil’ legs of yours after the past few hours,” our tallest friend chuckles good-naturedly.

I chime in, “He’s sort of got a point. Are you holding up okay, Mo?”

“Yup. Don’t worry, I can handle it.”

Several minutes later we make it to the sign that marks the end of the seven mile hike. The trees are far more sparse in our immediate vicinity, instead replaced with a few large rocks for us to sit on and around. In turn we collapse into seated positions to rest. Moira takes a little longer to get some pictures of the scenery for her work Instagram before she joins us.

“Alright, I’ll admit it… I’m really grateful for the break,” she says with a heavy exhale. She hangs her head and mumbles, “Stupid short legs.”

I’m in the process of transferring Evie from my pocket to my hand, but once she’s settled I grab a water bottle from my backpack and extend it to my second shortest friend.

“My bad," I tell her, "I didn’t even take into consideration the fact that the two of us are quite a bit taller than you when I suggested this hike.”

She reassures me that she’s alright, that she had happily agreed to joining and that she’s having a great time. But then as she’s speaking, I can’t help but notice out of the corner of my eye that Evie’s looking particularly deep in thought as she looks up at the rest of us one by one. I nudge her with my thumb curiously.

“What’s up?” I ask.

She snaps out of it, shaking her head apologetically before explaining, “Sometimes it’s hard to get a sense of certain things from down here… But, um, I can’t believe I’ve never asked this before… How tall are you, Aiden?”

Yeah, wow, I also can’t believe we’ve gone this long without mentioning it. But since Diego happens to be present when she asked, I just can’t help suddenly smirking and looking sidelong at him in reaction to the question. He responds with a massive eye roll.

Evie notices our exchanged looks and is preemptively laughing as she says, “What? Is it a weird thing to ask…?”

“No, it’s nothing,” I croon, still grinning smugly. “Just a bet I won a long time ago that I like to still rub in his face.”

Diego groans. “Just answer her question, bro.”

I take a moment to explain first, meeting Evie’s eyes again. “So believe it or not, I was actually taller than Diego when we were kids. But then he hit puberty early and shot up like a weed, and he broke the six foot mark when he was, like, twelve. At that point he bet that I’d never reach that height. But I was more of a slow and steady type. I was moving around the country after that with my family, but I would text him updates as I slowly inched up. I was in high school when I finally hit the mark. Just barely, and I never went past it, but still. I made it to six feet tall out of pure spite.”

“Yeah, whatever. You still never caught up,” Diego grumbles with a teasing smile, and from the way his arm tenses I can tell he would have shoved me if I wasn’t holding my tiny girlfriend aloft. Thankfully he abstains.

Evie giggles and turns to him. “So how tall are you, Diego?

“Six foot nine,” he says with a hint of pride but mostly the automatic drone of someone who’s had to answer that question many times to curious strangers.

“Holy crap. I guess you really are a giant,” she marvels, and then she turns the other way. “What about you, Moira?”

“Four foot eight,” she sighs.

Evie nods pensively. “Huh. Yeah, we’re uh… kind of all over the map, aren’t we?”

I frown as I try to remember that day back in February that I usually want to forget, back when I was looking over her paperwork before guiding her into Dr. Little’s lab. I quickly give up and decide to just ask, “How tall were you, Eve? Before, I mean.”

“Five foot four,” she says automatically, before twitching as if she’d received an electric shock.

Diego muses absently, “Huh, you’d be about Camila’s height. That’s hard to imagine…”

But I’m still focused on Evie and how her demeanor has changed. She looks visibly shaken. I lift her up slightly higher to catch her attention. “You alright?” I ask softly.

She glances up at the three of us, hesitating before deciding that she can confide in not just me but all of us. “It’s weird. I’d never really processed the fact that I can’t give that same answer anymore if someone were to ask me my height… I still mentally measure my surroundings on my own scale - like, I think of your hand as measured in feet, not in inches. As if the entire world has grown bigger. It just makes me feel weirdly self conscious when I remember it’s the opposite…”

There’s a tightness in my chest as I watch her grappling with her own reality. I can’t possibly imagine what it might be like for her, even after all this time. The fact that her height makes her feel “self conscious” pains me in particular, considering how much this amazing woman means to me.

I sigh and give her a half smile as I lift her up higher still and say, “I know it’s hard, but… Just know that there’s nothing wrong with you, okay?”

Moira scoots in from one side of me so she can touch her arm with one finger. “Agreed. You’re our friend no matter the height difference.”

Evie hugs the offered finger gratefully, and Diego leans in from the other side. “Yeah! Besides, three inches suits you. You wouldn’t be our lil’ shrimp otherwise.” He gently pokes the top of her head to muss up her hair.

This is probably the closest thing we can do to a group hug, and that’s not lost on the tiny girl in my palm. She briefly gets misty eyed, hugging Moira tighter, and chokes out, “Thanks, guys.”

Evie still seems a little off after that. Externally she’s acting like nothing’s the matter, jumping into conversation without issue over lunch, and frequently expressing delight over fall leaves and deer sightings on the trek back to the cabin. But I’ve seen her hide her feelings enough to sense that something might be up. She’s been acting a little weird all day, actually. I figure it might be because she’s overwhelmed by so much excitement and by constantly being around groups of people. But it’s hard to find a private moment with her to really make sure.

We’re pretty wiped by the time we get back to home base and it’s nearing late afternoon. The plan is to just relax in the covered patio for a while with some cider. I’ll need to start working on the campfire soon since I’m on dinner duty, but I still have some time to rest first, so I plan to hang out with everyone too. That is, until we get intercepted.

“Welcome back,” says Camila as she comes down the stairs to join us in the living room. “Hey, Aiden, can I get your help with something?”

I’m in the middle of unloading, Evie in hand as I drop my backpack to the floor. With a stifled exhale I ask, “Right now?”

“Yes please. I wanted to air out my room but the window’s stuck.”

“I can help,” Diego offers, having just put away his own bag.

“I don’t think your hand will fit,” Camila mumbles, gaze falling to the floor.

Evie pipes up just then, calling out to me. “Go ahead, I’ll go to the patio with the others. Can I get a ride, Kong?”

I reflexively lift her up for the upcoming transfer, keeping my eyes on her slight frame. Diego grins and reaches his arm out, touching his fingertips to the back of my hand. “Careful what you wish for," he tells her, "You want a drop tower or loop de loops?”

Looking particularly small as she stretches one leg out towards my massive friend’s palm, she pauses before her foot makes contact. “Uhhh. Moira, can I get a ride?”

“I’m kiddiiiiiing, c’mere Shrimp,” Diego laughs, and with a matching giggle my girlfriend slides off of my hand and is whisked away.

I follow Camila up the stairs, glancing around at the contents of her room. It’s a little messy in here, making me watch where I step as I pick my way across. The space is cluttered with blankets, pillows, clothing and shoes, and the tables are covered in makeup and skincare products. There’s a sweet fragrance in the air, a perfume of some kind, and it’s a bit stifling. No wonder she wants to open a window.

I investigate the latch and notice how rusty it is, and it takes me a while to wrench away at it, since I’m being careful not to brute force the thing and break it. Camila sits on the bed and hugs her legs into herself as she waits unhurriedly. After a minute of me struggling with the window she makes conversation.

“Remember that trip to Wisconsin?” she muses, “At Honeydew Ranch?”

She’s been doing this kind of thing more frequently since we’ve been on this trip, reminiscing on our family trips from when we were kids. It bothers me when she brings it up while everyone else is around, essentially gatekeeping our conversation from half the group with old inside jokes. But otherwise I haven’t really minded it, since childhood memories are one of the few things she and I have in common.

“Mm-hmm,” I hum as I think back, “That was my junior year of high school. I guess you were still in middle school?”

“Yeah. My window kept getting stuck during that trip too. Maybe I’m cursed or something.”

“I remember that, actually,” I chuckle. Finally the latch comes loose, but now I have to try to slide the faulty window up to open it.

Camila continues her trip down memory lane. “Yeah I figured you would, because I kept asking you to help me then too. Remember that day we stayed at the cabin while everyone else went out? And we just watched those weird Spanish reality shows all afternoon? Good times.”

I smile wryly as my muscles strain. Yeah, I’m sure she had fun then. Meanwhile the only reason I had stayed at the cabin with her that day was because I had a broken tibia and couldn’t go horseback riding with everyone else the way I would have liked. Guess she forgot about that part. I opt not to remind her, instead laughing awkwardly and agreeing, “Good times.”

Finally feeling a breeze leaking into the room, I grunt from the last burst of effort and let go of the window. I was only able to open it by an inch, and now it feels like it might be stuck like this. But the difference in air quality is immediate, so hopefully this is fine. I turn back around and falter for a second as I realize how intensely Camila is staring at me. She smiles wider and I shift uncomfortably.

“You all set here?” I ask, motioning towards the window. “I need to go make sure I know where the firewood is for tonight.”

Her eyes drift lower along my body for a second before she sits up and swings her legs back off the bed. “Yeah I’m good, thanks for the help. I’ll come with.”

I feel a little better once we’re in an open area downstairs. I locate the firewood in a designated log holder near the fire pit, and it’s easy from there to rejoin the rest of the group. Everyone is gathered around the patio table and in the process of laughing at something. And there’s my girl, standing on top of the table, currently the center of attention as she energetically tells a story. I smile warmly as I sit on the bench and my eyes briefly meet Evie’s as she speaks. Camila slides in next to me.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily I’ve said this before, but the fact that Evie didn’t know any of these people before she became tiny greatly simplifies how their relationships have developed. She’s already confronted the possibility that Aiden might “like her better this way,” and here Moira and Diego—while showing love and acceptance—tell Evie that they’ve adapted to having a three-inch-tall friend for the foreseeable future. If Evie is ever to be restored to full-size, she’s going to need her friends’ help, and she needs them to want that as much as she does. I’m curious to see the reaction of someone who knew Evie at full-size to see her as she is now (I just hope it’s not Brock).

Oooo I’m curious what you mean by your kind of villain.

One of my favorite size themes is seeing how different people adjust to the power differential, particularly in worlds (like this one) where size-changing is unheard of and no one’s had to seriously consider it before. While Camila might not be the most mature young woman, there’s been nothing to suggest that she’s disrespectful of others or prone to depraved indifference or casual violence. Until she met a three-inch-tall romantic rival.

World-breaking size-differential (like Evie’s) also tends to break morality; this is a brand-new situation, so perhaps the old rules don’t apply. The amount of physical accommodation tiny people need is so absurd that full-size people are constantly forgetting or discounting it. Their sheer vulnerability argues that worrying about tinies’ welfare is a waste of time and effort.

Camila initially resisted recognizing Evie’s personhood, and honestly what kind of person is threatened by a bare foot? Evie’s inability to affect much of anything runs right up against the fact that she has clearly foreclosed Camila’s romantic ambition. That kind of dissonance can erode all manner of moral values.

So, “my kind of villain” is an otherwise considerate person corrupted by the power-differential between them and people much smaller than them.

It’s been interesting to see the reactions to Camila - even far before this particular chapter of her being more blatantly a bully there have been a lot of intense comments about her.

Genre-wise, Out of Their Element has been a Gentle size story. The main antagonist seems to be miscommunication. There’s been no foreshadowing of a return of Dr. Little, and even Brock could well remain safely in the backstory. Then, just as Evie and Aiden seem to have found their groove, Camila shows up and interrupts the string of New Characters Who Unhesitatingly Agree To Protect And Befriend Evie. Camila is the other shoe for which we’ve been waiting to drop (hopefully not literally).

[littlest-lily]

@Olo Oof, there’s so much that I want to say that I won’t because ~spoilers~ but I really enjoy hearing your thoughts, as usual!

And yes, I think you’re right on how OoTE has been a gentle story so far, and so any kind of truly antagonistic presence really breaks the status quo. I wonder if part of the intense reaction to her comes from the fact that oftentimes the villains in these size stories tend to follow certain beats. A few of the folks I’ve heard from have made some very confident predictions on what Camila is going to do next. Meanwhile I just hope I don’t disappoint anyone with what happens, one way or another… But it’s all decided already (and I know that there’s never pleasing everyone when you make a thing) so I’ll just keep plowing on!

Thanks for indulging me in some of these more behind-the-scenes thoughts.

[Olo]

@littlest-lily said:

I wonder if part of the intense reaction to her comes from the fact that oftentimes the villains in these size stories tend to follow certain beats.

This is something many fetish writers struggle with, whether to give readers “what they want/expect” or to take the story where you alone think it should go. Everyone has to answer this for themselves, but for me I lose motivation when I’m fulfilling someone else’s vision and not my own (this is of course different for commissions and requests, which is why I avoid them).

[littlest-lily]

@Olo 100%. Sometimes it feels weirdly selfish to say this, but my creative outlets are for me - I just wouldn’t feel motivated to do them otherwise. At least for now… we’ll see if I ever run out of ideas or want a change of pace I suppose!

[littlest-lily]

Chapter 70
Aiden

The sound of the small crackling fire is soothing. So is the gentle heat of it, the sight of the dancing flames, the smell of charred wood. Our bellies are full of flame-cooked sausages, foil packet vegetables and cast iron hand pies. Moira has her guitar out, and while initially this was for the purpose of everyone singing a few ditties around the fire, at this point all three of the Ignacios have left to check out the hot tub, so she’s just idly strumming some gentle chords in the quiet night air.

Evie’s cuddling up in my palm as I softly massage her back. She’s been a little extra clingy this evening - not that I mind. She’s attempting to offer me a light massage in return, pressing her toes into the skin at the base of my fingers. As time progresses, though, her movements are slowing down.

It’s hard to make out some of the details in the darkness, so I lift her closer to my face to try to suss out the state she’s in. In reaction to the change in elevation she slowly flips onto her back, blinking up at me curiously with heavy-lidded eyes.

“You’re looking pretty sleepy,” I remark with a smile, “Want to head to bed?”

“Noooo, not yet,” she whines, “You’re just too comfy, give me a sec… What time is it?” She pushes herself to a sitting position in my palm, stretching her arms out.

Moira had set her guitar down once she noticed we were talking, and she checks her phone now. “It’s just before nine.”

“See? Plenty of night left!” Evie beams up in my direction and wonders, “Think it’d be dangerous for me to check out the hot tub?”

I ponder this before answering, “Ask Diego what he thinks about the temperature, but I don’t think it should be a problem? As long as we don’t lose you in the water, obviously.”

“Ooo I have an idea,” says Moira before crawling over to some of the supplies that haven’t been cleaned up yet. She returns with a white styrofoam bowl, holding it up for Evie to see. “This should float, even if we put some of the water and you in it. Want to try?”

“Yeah!” The tiny woman in my hand doesn’t seem so tired anymore. I playfully dump her into her new tub, and she giggles as she slides against the styrofoam and the static makes some of her hair stick up.

“Are you not coming?” Moira asks me, though she’s mostly keeping her attention on the bowl and friend that she’s now holding.

“I will, I just need to put out the fire. I’ll catch up with you guys.”

It takes me a couple of minutes to get things wrapped up - once I’ve doused the flames, I prod at the remains with a fire poker to make sure there aren’t any smoldering coals left. I rather enjoy the glowing red of the parts that survived, so I linger as those last little bits die out. That’s when I hear the rustling of leaves. I look up to see a figure coming my way, hard to make out as they’re backlit from the light of the cabin. But a few seconds later I recognize Camila.

“Why’re you all alone in the dark?” she calls out to me, unnecessarily loud. I briefly frown at her demeanor when I notice she’s got a slight stumble and what might be a beer can in her hand. We’ve all had a bit to drink, but I’m thinking she’s had a bit extra.

“Making sure we don’t burn the forest down,” I call back with an amused smile. She looks so out of place in her fluffy bathrobe.

She plops down right next to me on the log to watch the glowing coals. I try not to laugh at how intently she’s staring at them. But I’ve taken long enough on this task, and I’d honestly rather be with the others. I reach down for a nearby water bottle so that I can finish the job and we can all regroup.

I startle at a sudden tugging at the hem of my shirt. I turn back to look at Camila and then go rigid as she abruptly leans towards me to rest her head on my shoulder. She shifts closer, so that the side of her body presses against mine. At first I naively think that maybe she’s just feeling dizzy or something from the drinking. But then she wraps her arms around mine with obvious intention.

"What are you doing?” I ask stiffly, too taken aback to move away.

"I can’t stop thinking about you,” she mutters, pulling me in tighter.

Fuck. There’s a sinking feeling in my stomach and the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. My mouth feels dry as I try to think of what to say. "Listen… I’m sorry but–”

"Are you truly happy with her?” she interjects.

This creates a spark of irritation amidst the alarm. I’m able to answer with a much more steady voice. "Yes.”

She squeezes my arm, fingers digging in hard, and mumbles, "I don’t get it.”

I take her hands to pull them off me, gently but firmly. She doesn’t resist and I’m able to get away from the heat of her body and slide a couple of inches to the side. Once I’m sure that she’s sober enough to hold herself upright, I pull back further and turn to face her. In the dim light that’s coming from the cabin, I look at her intensely and say, "You don’t have to get it. But I’m going to ask you to respect it.”

I walk away. Maybe that’s wrong of me to leave her alone like that. But I can’t think straight. It’s uncomfortably tingly at the spots where she touched me, almost painfully so where she dug into my arm. I feel nauseous. I knew there was a chance Camila might still have feelings for me, and she made that more and more apparent this whole trip, but I didn’t expect this, I didn’t expect her to try and make some kind of move, especially so suddenly like that…

I burst back into the cabin and have to catch my breath. It feels like the room’s spinning, the light inside feels too bright. Ugh, how the hell am I going to handle this? Do I just pretend that didn’t happen? Should I go back out there and make sure she’s alright? I just want to find Evie, I just want to see her–

“Aiden?”

I jump at the sound of Diego’s voice. He’s just stepped inside on the other side of the living room, through the door that leads onto the back patio. His shirt is damp in places and his hair’s still dripping, clearly from having just come out of the hot tub.

“You alright, man?” he asks, frowning.

I snap back into my composure, hoping I sound convincing when I say, “I’m fine. Did Evie and Moira…?”

I trail off and he nods, his brow still furrowed. “Yeah, they’re still out there. Moira didn’t want to go in the hot tub, but I think Evie still does. You should go see her. What did Camila do?”

He figures it out so quickly that I can’t suppress a twitch. He’s walking towards me now, confusion getting replaced by concern. I just stand there in silence, still trying to wrap my mind around the past few minutes.

“Come on, bro. I’m not an idiot,” Diego insists, “She’s been making everyone uncomfortable as fuck since we got here."

I look down at my feet for a few seconds as I try to breathe and think. I’m not sure what the right thing is, but all I know is I can’t bring myself to go back out there. Not right now. Maybe it’s alright to lean on my friend a little bit.

“Yeah, can you go check on her?” I finally say. “She seemed pretty tipsy.”

Diego claps both hands on my shoulders, bending down to look me in the eye. “I’ll talk to her. You go spend time with your girl, okay?”

Yeah. That sounds pretty good right now. “Okay.”

He straightens back up and grins widely before he walks past me and says, “We’ll be up in the loft after this so you’ll have looots of privacy.”

“Wh–” before I have time to say anything, he’s out the front door, making his way towards the campfire remains. I shake my head at him trying to be a wingman at a time like this. But he did succeed in making me feel just a little bit better. I’ll figure the rest out… later.

I go out onto the back patio to find the girls standing just outside the hot tub, and Star waves me over. “There you are!” she says, “Look, this works great!”

Once I step closer I can see what she’s talking about. It seems that Evie got the okay from our medical experts, since she’s currently drifting along the edge of the tub in her little styrofoam bowl. She’s dressed in her intricate red and white swimsuit, her hair fanned out over the surface of the water that’s also in the bowl, and she’s looking absolutely adorable half submerged in her contained little puddle.

“I can still feel the heat in here, but it’s not too much!” she yells once I’m close enough. “Want to come in?”

“Please,” says Star as she shivers profusely, “It’s really cold once you get out.”

“Yeah yeah, I’ve got her, you two get inside,” I tell them and they both scamper away.

Thankfully we’d thought ahead and I’m already wearing my swim trunks under my clothes. I begin stripping down, pulling my shirt off as I keep a close watch on the tiny boat.

“Look at you, little sailor,” I say with a laugh, “That looks fun.”

“I’m on the hunt for some sea monsters,” Evie responds matter-of-factly. “This lake’s kinda empty though.”

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” I chuckle as I finish yanking off my pants.

The hot water helps my muscles relax, and I lower myself down into it with a relieved groan. I rub at my still-tingling arm, feeling the urge to clean it, and then smile fondly as I notice my girlfriend gently drifting in my direction. I reach a hand out and touch my fingertips to the bottom of the bowl so that I can pull her in a bit closer. We decide to turn on a couple of the jacuzzi jets, on the lowest setting so that they’re not too loud and don’t jostle her around too much. But even this small amount of pressure against my back and my legs helps me unwind my tight nerves. I can almost pretend nothing out of the ordinary just happened. Almost.

I catch Evie shivering a tad, and I scoop a bit of water to carefully add to her existing bath in the bowl. Like a predator in waiting, she playfully latches onto my index finger as soon as it comes close enough and holds it tight. But… it’s a little extra tight. Just how she was being a little extra clingy earlier. A little extra quiet all day. I touch my thumb against the other side of her body, gently stroking its delicate curves.

“Are you doing okay?” I ask quietly.

She frowns. I guess this probably feels like it’s coming from out of nowhere. She leans her cheek against my hand, observing me for a moment. Finally she counters, “Are you doing okay?”

Welp. So much for pretending nothing’s up. I shouldn’t keep this from her anyway. I wasn’t particularly trying to hide it, it’s just that I haven’t sorted it out in my own brain yet. Evie and I have hardly had any time for just the two of us since we embarked on this trip - maybe we’re due for a little heart to heart.

I sigh. “Camila just came on to me.”

“What?” Her eyes widen as she lifts her head up. “Just now?”

“Yeah… I think she’s drunk. She didn’t, like, assault me or anything, she just got really touchy and… made it very clear that she still has feelings after all.”

Her grip tightens. “Any unwanted touch is not okay. I’m sorry, babe.” For a moment she tilts her head down, pressing her forehead against me instead, and laments, “Damn. This sucks.”

“Yeah, it definitely complicates things…” I mutter.

Evie lets go of me now, sinking herself back into the water. She pulls her legs up into her chest and gazes off into space before finally saying, “I have something to tell you about too.”

She recounts what happened this morning. About when all four of the girls had gathered to put on face masks and paint their nails. And about how Camila took an opportunity to misconstrue Evie’s offer of helping out and essentially shoved a foot in her face, knocked her down and laughed about it.

I grow more and more appalled. And I’m also increasingly angry. I’ve never been particularly close with Camila, but I’ve technically known her for a long time. Even though I didn’t consider her a best buddy or anything, I still would have referred to her as a “friend.” I’m learning a whole lot about her today.

I’m practically shaking by the end of the tale. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I growl.

Evie looks a bit spent as she hugs herself, legs still bent in, shoulders drooping. She looks so vulnerable in her curled up position. How can anyone bully someone who’s this harmless, this defenseless?

“The other two had my back,” she says, “Moira’s been awesome - she took me aside after we left the room to make sure I was okay, and she’s been staying close any time Camila’s nearby. I’m alright, but… I don’t think I really want to see her after this trip if I can help it."

“Uh, yeah, I don’t either. I knew she could be self absorbed, but I didn’t think she’d be capable of being so mean. That’s just unacceptable…”

My outrage is boiling more violently than the jacuzzi. Ugh, and here a part of me had been pitying Camila. I may not have ever understood why she was interested in me, but I did feel for her plight - unrequited feelings can be really hard to deal with. I’d been frustrated with some of her behaviors and really put off with how she approached me tonight, but I still couldn’t help feeling guilty about rejecting her.

That pity has evaporated. Now I’m more focused on the fact that she was hitting on me despite knowing that I’m taken. I’m remembering how dismissive she was about my girlfriend, how she said that she “doesn’t get it.” I know she said that while drunk, but… she doesn’t see Evie as a person, does she? What the fuck is wrong with her?

“Aiden, hold on,” my partner pleads, clearly seeing how restless I’m getting. “I don’t want any drama. Let’s just try to ignore her? We’re only halfway through this trip, I’d like to make the most of it. Not to mention that I’d rather not be on her bad side, not when she knows about my situation.” I look down and notice that the styrofoam bowl has started drifting away, its tiny passenger needing to raise her voice now for me to hear her. “It wasn’t that bad, she was just being immature. Hell, if we know she’s into you after all, then she’s probably just jealous, right?”

I sigh deeply, like a deflating balloon. I reach my arms out to bring her back towards me again, and I carefully lift the bowl out of the water to bring her closer to eye level. “Alright,” I relent, “Let’s make the most of our time out here. But… Evie, if she pulls that shit in front of me, I’m not sure I can hold back.”

She nods. “That’s fair. Hopefully it won’t come to that.” Since I’m holding her this close I’m able to notice how dejected she looks. She puts a hand over her face and her voice quivers. “I just… God, I just wish she wasn’t so… hot.”

I freeze, completely caught off guard by this. “What?! Babe, there’s zero competition here.”

Evie’s using both hands now, digging the heels of her palms in against her closed eyes. “I know, I know. I’m sorry.”

This fun little boat is starting to feel more like a barrier. I run my fingers along the rim of the bowl restlessly in the ensuing quiet while neither one of us knows what to say. Finally I break the silence.

“Can I hold you?”

She lifts her head at this, her eyes red from the sting of unfallen tears. She smiles weakly and inches forward towards the edge of the bowl. I cup some water into my hand before gently tilting her into it, and I cradle her little body with utmost care, trying to make sure she’s neither too hot nor too cold. I lower myself further into the water, kneeling in the hot tub, so that it almost reaches the top of my shoulders. Tenderly I kiss my beloved on the top of the head.

“I wish I could properly express to you how much I love you,” I murmur.

Evie’s smile is weak but earnest. “For what it’s worth,” she says, “Despite all the weirdness, I’ve truly enjoyed most of our time here. Last night with the group was so much fun. The hike today was amazing. I didn’t think I could ever want to see such large flames after what happened at the lab, but this evening and the campfire has been so nice. I’ve loved spending so much time outside, and I look forward to that foraging class tomorrow and everything we have left.”

I lightly grasp her tiny shoulder between thumb and forefinger and suggest, “How about next time we go on a camping trip, we make it a couple’s one. Just you and me."

“Yes please. I really want to try camping in a tent with you one day.”

“Deal.”

She tilts her head back, silently letting me know she wants another kiss. I aim for her neck and then she turns to press her lips against mine. The warmth of the hot tub heightens the pleasure, and as the minutes pass, the tender intimacy helps me stay in the moment with her, distracting me from everything else.

The water creates enough lubrication that she slides with ease against my lips as she gets to her feet in my palm, and in the process I feel all of her curves against my mouth. I kiss her with a bit more force, tilting my head to cover her whole torso. Pure affection overtakes me, and I want to completely engulf her in it. I constrict my hands around her, folding my fingers over her body, and break off the kiss so that I can hug her instead. I tuck my clasping hands against the base of my throat, bringing my chin down so that I surround her from all sides.

For a while Evie welcomes the embrace. But then she takes some initiative and maneuvers her way between my fingers, until I feel her hands against my neck. She climbs onto my collar bone, and I slowly lean back to make the job easier, carefully regaining my seat and leaning the back of my head against the edge of the tub. I sigh and let my eyes close, savoring the feeling of my miniature girlfriend crawling around near the top of my chest. The tiny tickles are both relaxing and stimulating.

She reaches my shoulder and shimmies alongside it until she’s able to hoist herself up on the edge of the tub. Reflexively I bring one hand up to drip some water onto her frame, to protect her from the chill. She continues to climb up to my head, and I shiver indulgently as I feel her mouth against the edge of my ear. At this point I’m becoming short of breath and am covered in goosebumps from head to toe. I vaguely remember what Diego had said about giving us privacy.

“Aiden…” Evie murmurs, pausing to give my earlobe a little nibble that makes my heart skip a beat. “I’m not sure I can properly express how much I love you either. But… um… if you’re open to it, I… I’d like to try.”

[Olo]

@littlest-lily RELEASE THE KRAKEN